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Wearables for health

This research explores the motivations, behaviors, and challenges of long-term Apple Watch users aged 18–35, focusing on their engagement with health-related functionalities. The research reveals evolving motivations for using the device, starting from basic fitness tracking and expanding to include features like sleep monitoring and communication aids. 

Project Overview

Motivation

The research team wanted to understand what factors motivate people to initially purchase a wearable device, how they leverage the device and those insights, and what features of the device may go underutilized over the long-term use. 

Stakeholders

  • Apple Watch Product Teams 

    • UX Researchers​

    • Product Managers

    • Designers

    • Product Development

Contributors

This research was conducted in collaboration with three other student researchers from the University of Washington, Human-Centered Design and Engineering department.

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ONLINE OBSERVATIONS INSIGHTS

  • Reddit, X (Twitter)
    Instagram
    Written Articles / Blogs 
    Commerce Reviews

Frustrations

These frustrations negatively impacted users' overall experience and satisfaction with the device.

1.  Reliability of workout tracking features
2. Battery length

 

Musician

Valued Features

These features were valued by users as they increased use and motivation.

1. Key health features like insights from Apple Watch Vitals
2. Heart Rate Tracker
3. Gamified fitness metrics

INDIVIDUAL INTERVIEWS INSIGHTS

Notes

We conducted 6 one-on-one user interviews with Apple Watch users (with six or more months of use) who reside in the Greater Seattle area and were between 18-35 years old.

 

Analysis:  

  1. Blind coding to identify recurring insights across participants

  2. Create a comprehensive codebook 

  3. Flag interviews for similarities and contrasting insights

  4. Include memos

  5. Affinity mapping of key to generate a list of themes that translated our findings

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Motivations evolves and expand in scope over time, as people discover more beneficial features, and while some novelties may fade, the habits often do not.​

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Users' initial motivations to adopt the Apple Watch expand as they discover new features, transitioning from novelty to habit formation.

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“The more I've worn [my Apple Watch], the more I feel like I want to continue to wear it, because I do like the convenience of the [features the watch provides]” - P2

“Initially fitness was a cool perk, but eventually became a reason to wear it every day.” -P3

Future Directions
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